Don't Touch
by Gemstar24
Summary: The Joker's new henchman discovers just how dark The Joker's and Harley's relationship is. An intimate look into what happens when you don't follow The Joker's rules. Nolanverse AU. First in the Reflection Series.
1. chapter 1

Danny had heard good things about working for The Joker. His buddy Felix had been working for him for about 3 months. Danny met the requirements to become a henchman and if Felix vouched for him, The Joker agreed, but it would be Felix's head if Danny screwed up.

Felix drove Danny to the old theater where they stayed. It looked like it had been abandoned for years. There were no lights on the outside and no cars out front. Felix pulled into the rear and turned to Danny. "Listen, this guy is a psycho. He pays good and treats us good if we don't mess up. But if you do, he won't hesitate to blow your brains out. He's moody and and he's brutal. Don't speak unless you're spoken too. Don't correct him. Do not ask questions. Don't ever mention Batman. Don't touch his stuff, especially his girl.", Felix warned as he pointed a finger in his face.

"This freak has a girl?", Danny asked as he wondered what kind of chick would want to be with this monster of a man. The Joker was a known mass murderer who had the city of Gotham on its knees.

"Yeah and she's a freak too.", nodded Felix. "She's just as brutal, but he keeps her locked up in the house most of the time. He's insanely possessive of her. He don't even like when we look at her. But if she asks you to do somethin', you better do it. Alright, let's go and don't forget what I told ya."

The two men walked together to the backstage entrance. It was dark and there was junk everywhere, old props, set pieces, and tattered costumes. As they meandered through the halls it became a little brighter and they heard the sound of men arguing and laughing. As they made it to the lobby of the theater Danny saw four guys sitting around a card table smoking and playing poker. Felix led him to the men and introduced Danny. The men nodded and went back to their game. New guys didn't last long so they didn't put much effort into greetings.

Danny followed Felix down the hall to the men's quarters. They passed a set of double doors where he heard a man and woman going at it. High pitched screaming came from the room and Danny raised an eyebrow. "The Boss and Harley Quinn", Felix shrugged. "This is typical, you'll get used to it. Come on."

"Sounds like she's being tortured.", Danny said with slight concern as he followed Felix.

"That sounds like foreplay around here.", Felix said nonchalantly. "It could honestly be going either way in there."

They opened the door across the way and there were about 10 beds scattered around the room. Felix showed Danny which was his and pointed to the bathroom across the hall. "And that's about it. The rest of this place belongs to The Boss and Harley. Don't ever go into their bedroom unless he tells you to. Harley has her own bathroom next to ours. Don't ever go in there either." Danny thought that there seemed to be a lot of rules for a guy who thrives on chaos.

Just then one of the doors to The Joker's bedroom opened just enough for him to slide his body through without showing the room. He was straightening the collar to his green button up and buckling his belt before he lit a cigarette. As he put the lighter in his pocket he stared down Danny. "Boss, this is Danny, the new guy you hired.", he gestured toward him. "Nice to meet you sir, I've heard good things!" Felix nudged Danny in the ribs to tell him to shut up. The Joker grunted and blew smoke in their direction. His green hair was wild and his scars were more intimidating on his unpainted face than when he wore a mask in his mugshots. He turned on his heel to head towards the lobby.

"You're lucky he was in a good mood, man", Felix said with relief.

"How could you tell?"

"He didn't blow a hole in your face."

The two followed their leader to the lobby where the rest of the men were listening intently to The Joker's plans for the evening as he secured his holster over his shoulders with his cigarette hanging out of the side of his mouth. His voice was nasally, but deep with authority. He had a strange way of forming his words and put emphasis on the wrong syllables making him sound eerie.

He pointed directly at Danny and spoke, "You, stay here with Marty and learn the ropes. I don't wanna babysit tonight." He extinguished his cigarette in the glass tray. "If no one told you already-", he glanced at Felix, "-don't touch what doesn't belong to you. Let's go fellas." The men all stood obediently to follow their leader out the back. Felix waved to Danny as he exited.

Marty stood from the table and started cleaning up the cards. "So, now what?", Danny asked. "Now we secure the place until The Boss comes back. Make sure no one takes advantage of his absence. And don't get lazy, we ain't alone right now.", he glanced nervously towards the hallway with the bedrooms. "Miss Quinn is here. Hopefully she'll stay in her hole till he comes back.", he muttered. "What's with this broad? Why is everyone so nervous about a little woman?", Danny asked naively and little too loudly. Marty smacked his own face and then shushed him, "Shut UP, she'll hear you." Danny snorted, "Yeah okay." Marty shook his head. "Anyway, you sit here," he led him behind what used to be a concession stand where there were several monitors all hooked up crudely to a security system. The images were grainy, but you would be able to see if a figure was in the picture. "If you see anyone that isn't The Boss and the boys coming home, call me on the radio.", he nodded to the charging walkie talkie. He grabbed its twin and hooked it on his belt. "I'll take the boys and walk the perimeter for a while." Danny looked confused, "I thought all the guys left." Marty smirked and pointed at one of the monitors that showed two strange animals pacing impatiently. "What the-", he started surprised. "Miss Quinn's 'babies', freaking hyenas", he chuckled. "They protect her like she's their mom or something. Call if you need anything.", and Marty walked towards the back of the building. Danny saw him leash up the cackling hyenas and lead them out the back door.

Danny leaned back in the chair and looked around the large open space. It was obviously once a huge theater, very elegant. The floors were tiled white and black, large marble pillars reached to the tall ceiling, the glass doors that lined the front of the building were now boarded up. He yawned and looked back at the monitors. He would have to get his sleep schedule straightened out if he was expected to stay up at all hours of the night. It was approaching midnight and he already felt exhausted. Something caught his attention on one of the small screens. He watched intently as he saw a small figure of a woman exit The Joker's bedroom and head into what he found out to be the kitchen on another screen. He couldn't see any details on the black and white monitors, but she appeared to move gracefully and had light hair. She made herself a cup of tea and then headed back to the bedroom. He heard the door click closed down the hall. He looked, but there were obviously no cameras in their bedroom. How could anyone be so afraid of a petite blonde chick who likes a cup of tea before bed. He couldn't be sure but it almost looked like she was wearing bunny slippers in the image. He snorted to himself and continued to look at the screens as his eyes felt heavy.

He was jolted awake by the echo of the back door closing. He looked to the camera and saw that Marty had just come back in and was unleashing the hyenas. "It's starting to rain outside.", he said as he rejoined Danny at the security station. He took off his wet jacket as they heard a roll of thunder. "All's well?", Danny asked trying to sound as if he hadn't just woken up. His eyes skimmed the cameras and noticed that The Joker's door was ajar. Miss Quinn must have come back out while he was sleeping. Just then a bright flash of lightning shown through the boarded up windows and as the thunder boomed the power went out. "Aw, crap!", Marty said, but just as soon as it was out, it came back on. "Phew, The Boss woulda been ticked if the power was out when he got back." Danny looked down at the blank monitor screens, "Hey, everything went black, the system didn't reboot." Marty walked around the desk and sure enough everything was offline. He sighed in frustration, "This is bad. Well you're gonna have to walk the place and make sure everything is a-okay. Here take this.", he handed Danny a nightstick. "No gun?", Danny asked offended. "Not till the boss gives you one. Now hurry along, double check all the doors are locked too. I'm gonna have to figure this out.", Marty headed towards the basement to find the fuse box.

Danny gripped the nightstick and rocked back and forth on his heels before heading down the main hall. The first door on the left was The Joker's bedroom. It was still cracked open a few inches. He wasn't sure if Miss Quinn was inside, but then he heard the squeaky shower knobs turn and water start to run in the ladies restroom. She must be taking a shower, he assumed. He nudged the door open a little further with his nightstick, just enough to poke his head in. The room smelled like cigarettes and vanilla and it was a complete mess. The four poster king size bed was in the middle of the room and the purple silk sheets were tossed halfway off the bed. "JxHQ" was spray painted on the wall above the bed. There were knives littering the mattress. Rolls of duct tape were scattered on the floor next to the bed. On one nightstand lied what looked like a chemistry book with an ashtray on top and half a bottle of scotch while the other nightstand had a lamp and a small dish with a line of powdery substance. The mirror above the dresser had a large red painted smile and make up containers littered the top. Lingerie and argyle socks spilled out of the drawers. There were bullet holes and what looked like red paint splatters along the walls. He had enough of the bedroom and continued down the hall. His curiosity about the mysterious woman was growing as he heard a sweet voice singing from the ladies bathroom. She sounded like an angel as she sang:

 _I put a spell on you_

 _Because you're mine_

 _You better stop the things you do_

 _I tell ya I ain't lyin' I ain't lyin'_

 _You know I can't stand it_

 _You're runnin' around_

 _You know better daddy_

 _I can't stand it 'cause you put me down_

 _Oh no_

 _I put a spell on you_

 _Because you're mine_

 _You know I love you I love you I love you I love you anyhow_

 _And I don't care if you don't want me_

 _I'm yours right now_

 _I put a spell on you_

 _Because you're mine_

 _You know…_

He stared in awe as he slowly propped the door open a few inches and listened to this sweet thing sing like a bird. Her pink bunny slippers sat on the bath mat and matching pink silk robe was hanging from a nearby hook. The shower curtain was clear, but steamy. He could see her figure, she was a small woman, but curvy. She had long blonde hair. Her song ended and she turned the water off. Her hand gripped the curtain and she pulled it open, but immediately turned her back to the room as she started applying lotion to her legs. Danny took a step back at first, but his eyes were glued to the poor woman's body. She wasn't his girlfriend, she was his torture victim. Not a single inch of the back of her body wasn't covered in scars - new or old. Pink flesh stood elevated as he began to read the words, _PROPERTY OF JOKER_ , took up the entirety of her milky white back. Other words that littered her body were 'MINE', 'HA HA', and 'J'. She had lashes like she had been hit with a belt over and over. Bruises formed on her hips. He couldn't look away, how could he rescue this woman? She turned to face him and his eyes raked her body from bottom to top. More pink scars stood out, large letters raised across her stomach, 'Puddin''. His eyes made it to her face and he realized she saw him. He knew he should back away, but her own Glasgow smile was splayed across her face. Her eyes narrowed at him as she tutted and wagged her finger in front of her body. "Now we're both gonna get it.", and she cackled. His nightstick fell to the floor.

Just then a hand reached around him and pulled the door shut with force. The woman still laughed hysterically from the other side. The Joker wrapped his long fingers around Danny's neck and held him inches off the ground against the wall. "Can't you read?", he spit in his face through clenched teeth. His eyes appeared black and dilated. His breath smelled of alcohol and cigarettes. His painted face was melted and smeared off which made him appear crazier. The Joker looked down as Danny's urine spilled onto his custom leather shoes.


	2. Chapter 2

Danny's head throbbed as his swollen eyes struggled to let the light in. His hope that the past few days had been a nightmare was dashed when he saw the blurred white, black, and red face of the devil inches from him.

"Well good morning, beautiful!", The Joker sang to Danny. He stood straight and raised his hands to the air, "It's another lovely day." He grinned showing his yellow teeth.

Danny moaned. He had already been stabbed, burned with cigarettes, punched in the face countless times, and his legs were freezing as the urine soaked his pants. He rued the day he ever met Felix and joined this freak show.

The Joker turned away and walked to a workbench as he hummed 'Pop Goes the Weasel" quietly. When he got to the part of the tune that went 'pop' he slammed a fist on the table and sent a jolt through Danny. The fluorescent light gave the room a sickening green color. He heard the sound of clanging metal as The Joker sifted through his tools of the trade. He spun around to Danny with a butcher knife in hand. "You know, I'm not a man who admits when he's wrong, ever." Danny suddenly had a glimmer of hope that The Joker would let him go. He strode towards Danny examining the knife in his dirty hands. "I figured, if I cut Harley enough times, slashed her face open, she would become un-desir-able to men.", he licked at his scars and looked off past Danny, "but, it only seems to make them want to stare more!", he laughed as he quickly turned back to his workbench, "I just can't win!", he shrugged. Danny started to cry. "I'm sure you don't like when people touch your things."

Danny spoke up, "I swear! I didn't touch her!"

The Joker looked back at him, "Maybe not with your hands." He stomped towards Danny suddenly grabbing the arms of the chair he was tied to. "But you were doing sick things to my little girl in your head, weren't you?", he growled the last part as he tapped a finger harshly into Danny's temple. "No one thinks sick things about my Harley, except me! And I can think of some pretty sick things...", he slapped Danny on his swollen cheek as his smile grew.

Just then there was a knock at the metal door. The Joker growled and yelled, "WHAT?" A small voice on the other side spoke, "Puddin', it's me." Danny saw the look on The Joker's face soften for a brief second as he walked over to answer the door. Danny briefly saw Harley standing at the door wearing a red lace nightie while she licked a lollipop, her hair in pigtails. He looked away. He heard The Joker say through gritted teeth, "Daddy's busy, pumpkin. Get your butt upstairs before I take off my belt and finish what we started earlier."

"Oh but Daddy, I'm so bored! Come play with me.", she giggled. She stood on her tip toes to get a look at the bound man behind The Joker.

"Daddy is busy fixing this mess you made. All by not locking the bathroom door, Harl.", he said annoyed as he gestured towards the broken and bleeding man, giving her a full view.

He grabbed her harshly by the wrist and dragged her into the room he referred to as The Pit. "Look at him, look what I've had to do to this pig who defiled you with his eyes. What's wrong friend?", he asked Danny mockingly. "You don't want to look at her anymore? Does she not fit your traditional views of 'beauty'?" Danny was breathing heavily as he stared at the floor. The Joker frowned and grabbed Danny's swollen face and forced his eyes up to Harley, "Look at her", he growled deeply. She stood there shyly and waved a few fingers at him as she licked her lollipop. The Joker stood behind Harley and grabbed her shoulders, running his hands down her front, "This. Is. Mine." He punctuated each word. "I made this. This is my property. Do you understand? Do you?" Danny nodded his head quickly. The Joker licked at his scars before whirling Harley around, pulling her to him giving her a long passionate kiss. Just as she reached her hand up to caress his marred face, he pushed her to the floor and kicked her in the side. "Wait for me upstairs.", he said finally. She pulled herself up and stumbled to the door with a pout and he slammed it behind her. He rolled his eyes, "Women! So needy! Now where were we? Oh yes," he pulled the pliers out of his pocket and focused on Danny's mouth as he said, "Say 'ah'!" Danny's screams echoed throughout the basement of the abandoned theater.

The Batman stood atop Gotham National Bank, illuminated by moonlight. The Bat Signal suddenly reflected in the clouds. Upon arrival, Commissioner Gordon greeted the masked vigilante. He handed him a note, explaining he got a tip from one of Cobblepot's men as a part of a plea deal. The note listed the address of the old theater. Gordon nodded and stated, "The Joker, bring him in." Batman had been relentlessly searching for The Joker since his last escape from Arkham six months ago.

The streets of Gotham below filled with mobsters, rapists, dealers, and prostitutes as the night drew on. Batman's armored vehicle prowled the streets. As he approached the address, he parked near a dark alley where a fire escape ladder rested against a nearby building. He climbed to the top and made his way across. The very next building was the old Gotham Grand Theater. It seemed like the perfect place for someone as dramatic as The Joker. The place seemed dead, but as he approached the center of the roof he came to the glass ceiling. Peering down he could make out four men sitting around a table playing cards.

The glass shattered as the caped man landed on the table, smashing it to the floor. The four goons drew their weapons as The Batman took them out with ease, kicking two in the sides of their heads and extending his arms simultaneously to punch the others.

Marty stood abruptly from the nearby security desk where he hit the emergency button. All the lights went out and an alarm echoed throughout the building. He ducked below the desk and used the radio to call Felix, " Plan B! Plan B!"

Batman approached the security desk and found Marty underneath. He pulled his gun from his holster and pointed at The Dark Knight with a quivering hand. Batman kicked the gun out of his grip and pulled the man to his feet. Pushing him into the desk chair, he pulled some cord from his belt as he tied Marty down.

Felix slunk in from the back entrance. He had been scoping the perimeter when he got Marty's message. As he made his way into the lobby he saw his fallen comrades knocked out. Marty hissed at Felix from his tied predicament. Felix walked toward him as Marty raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes towards one of the marble pillars near the main entrance. Felix turned his head just as he saw Batman lunge from the top of the pillar. Felix unholstered his gun and shot just as Batman descended on him, ruining the shot. Batman gripped the man's neck hard, slamming his head into the tile, "WHERE IS HE?", he shouted. Felix just smirked as his head throbbed and he struggled to breathe. Frustrated, Batman arose and dropped a gas pellet into the room which would render all the men useless for hours.

The Joker was visiting Danny for a second time that day. He had anticipated that this would be his last session with the traitor as a good amount of blood spilled on the floor since he removed most of Danny's teeth. But there were still some digits he was itching to saw off the man. It would have to wait though because as the alarm rang he grinned and stood back and began to polish his shotgun by lantern light. He'd been wanting to dance with the bat again, but he'd have to find The Joker first.

The Batman prowled through the backstage passage. Old mannequin props stood in the corner with crudely painted red smiles. They looked so lifelike and he felt a shudder. Was one of them giggling? The laughter increased as the petite woman he knew as Harley Quinn stepped forward, red lipstick smeared across her scarred face. "Sic 'im", she said as she pointed at Batman. The two hyenas lunged at him pushing him to the floor attempting to shred through his suit to get to his jugular. Harley laughed and clapped as she jumped up and down on her bare feet. One of the animal's razor sharp teeth shook his wrist around violently. Batman used his free hand to turn on his headlamp to get a better look. This attracted the other beast to his face and it began to bite at the light source. He grabbed the animal around its neck and slammed its head against the hardwood floor. It let out a yelp upon impact. The other mutt growled and lunged at Batman's neck when he quickly shot a Batarang into its face. It fell silent to the ground, dead. Harley shrieked and she fell to the floor to hold her remaining baby close. She glared at the Batman, "You monster! Mista J is gonna kill you!" There was nothing she could even do to him. She knew she couldn't touch what didn't belong to her. He left the woman sobbing in a heap as he prowled further into the building to find his real target using the light of his headlamp to guide the way.

Batman felt along the walls down a long dark passage. Some street light shown through boarded up windows and doors only helping a minimal amount. He heard a faint scream sounding as though it was a man's voice. The Batman began opening all the doors in the hallway. Each room empty. The door at the end of the hall opened to a set of stairs leading to basement. The screams grew louder as soon as he opened the door. He bounded down the steps and meandered around more stage props. Ships, castles, guillotines, and dress mannequins filled the room. He followed the screams to another metal door. Locked. The screaming man was inside and he had a feeling The Joker was the one causing those screams. Batman placed a small explosive on the door handle and stood back as it let off a small bang. The door slowly opened to show a room that was now pitch black. His headlamp shined on a beaten and bruised man who had blood running down his face onto his clothes. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a cigarette burning in the corner. As he lifted his eyes to the small red light he saw The Joker standing to the side of the room near his workbench. Sleeves rolled up to his elbows, shotgun holstered, blood spattered on his face. "Welcome to the funhouse, Bat. I've been wondering when you would visit."

"What do you think you're doing?", Batman asked in his gravelly voice.

"This man here had to learn a hard lesson about property ownership.", he slapped Danny's shoulder hard, "I think he understands now though. We had to have a 'man-to-man' talk.", he winked as he extinguished his cigarette under his shoe. He quickly unholstered his gun and shot Danny in the head. Bits of brain matter and tissue exploded like a party popper.

Batman ascended on The Joker and punched him in the side of his head. The Joker let out a shrill laugh as he fell to the floor. Batman picked him up and slammed him into the wall. "You're going back to Arkham.", he growled.

The Joker held up his hands in fake surrender, "Now, now Bat. If I go who's gonna take care of Harley when I'm gone?", he chuckled.

Batman threw him on the floor as he reached for his cuffs. The Joker while lean was much stronger than most would realize. He kicked the Bat's legs out from under him and jumped on top of his chest. He began punching him in the mouth, the only part of the man that was unarmored. Batman's headlamp illuminated the Joker's smeared clown face as he was being pummeled. Blood spilled out of Batman's mouth and The Joker used the opportunity to smear it into a smile across his mask. "Oh that's a good look for you!", he giggled. The Bat angrily grabbed The Joker's wrists and flipped on top of him. "Oh Batsy, I had a feeling you felt this way for me, but right here on the floor?", he shrugged and laughed again. Batman growled as the two men fought for dominance. Grabbing The Joker's hair, he shoved his face onto the cold cement and pushed his knee into his back as he grabbed his arms and handcuffed him.

The Joker grunted as he was lifted from the floor by his cuffs. "That was fun, Bat. We should do it again real soon. Will you come visit me in Arkham?", he said with a wide grin. Batman sighed and pushed him back up the stairs. As they meandered back through the building passing the unconscious goons, Harley sat in the shadows still crying and cradling her dead hyena. "Puddin'?", she whispered through tears as she watched Batman leading her man toward the door. He winked at her and she gave a little nod and raised the corner of her mouth.

As Batman drove The Joker to the asylum police sped towards the theater, sirens blaring. The Joker's mind wandered. How long it would take for that little minx to break him out again?

 _Thank you so much to anyone who read this story! I had this idea floating around my mind for so long and I'm glad I got it out._

 _Obviously DC holds the rights to these character. I make no profit from this story._

 _Song credit: I Put a Spell on You by Annie Lennox_


End file.
